The Resourceful Sailor Secures ‘Sampaguita’s Drop Boards

Whether cruising or racing, it’s good practice to have the ability to secure the companionway drop boards to reduce the chances of their being lost in a capsize or a knockdown. They play an important role in preventing water from going down below. I know, for example, the rules for the big Vancouver, Canada, Swiftsure Race, on the sometimes-gnarly Juan de Fuca Strait, require this feature on its participating boats. There are no rules for offshore cruisers, but once you’ve had a wave on your aft corner slosh a surprising amount of water over the cockpit coaming, and watch it wash unrestrained along the inner edge, over top of the bridge, and down below, you’ll appreciate not losing those precious boards.

Off-the-shelf hardware can be purchased to lock the boards in, but you should know by now that The Resourceful Sailor rarely takes that route. I recognize that all boats are custom, and generic hardware may or may not fit. And if it says “marine,” it automatically costs more. I also didn’t want anything hard and angular that would scratch everything they touched as the drop boards got stowed, stacked, slid, and tossed around the boat.

The solution I came up with had to be inexpensive, simple, effective, and non-marring. I would add it to Sampaguita’s main drop boards and her transparent ones, written about in a previous installment. Admittedly, I can no longer remember what the inspiration was, but it doesn’t get much simpler than this.

First, I bought three Sea-Dog Line nylon mini clam cleats for a few dollars each and three Sea-Dog Line nylon eye straps for about a quarter each. I chose nylon because these would be the least marring to the boat, drop boards, and person. I mocked up the placements along the starboard side with the eye straps on the boards and cleats on the inside framing. I had small stuff from the ditty bag, aligning the hardware with a fairlead and aesthetically acceptable placement, then fastened each item in its place. I then discovered that the boards still wanted to hinge out of the slot on the port side. Back I went to the store to buy three more eye straps and clam cleats. These were added to the port side, and each board could quickly and easily be secured. This allowed for a one-, two- or three-board arrangement without depending on the top board to hold the others in. I followed suit with the transparent drop boards.

There were some nuances. The lines sometimes wanted to get caught between the boards or between the boards and the sides when installing. I waited to seize the lines securely to the eye straps in case I found this too tedious and only wanted to add the lines when I might need them. Through the repetition of living aboard, I developed an installation technique that generally solved this annoyance, so I decided to seize the lines permanently. I figured this best to not lose or misplace them, and attaching them when in dire need might be too late.

I used flathead brass screws on the eye straps and stainless steel oval heads on the cleats. I probably should have used stainless steel on the eye straps. The brass screws look great, but corrosion may be a problem. The decision had as much to do with availability as anything. My local marine store, which to its credit still allows you to buy singles at a great price, sells mainly stainless steel square drive screws. The tradespeople like them because they stay on the drive bit, especially when reaching. I have an aversion to the aesthetics of square drive screws. I have been forced into them for a few instances on Sampaguita, but not where I have to look at them. As Sampaguita was built in 1985, she’s mostly a straight blade or Phillips head sort of girl. For tool simplicity and aesthetics, I try to keep her that way.

The Resourceful Sailor presents this simple design as an option for securing your companionway drop boards, whether to appease racing rules or for your own sense of security.

This video shows the drop boards in action:

Remember, keep your solutions safe and prudent, and have a blast.